My afternoon train departed from Salzburg at 3.15 pm & pulled into Munich by 5.06 pm. I was now headed to Amsterdam having booked myself on a night sleeper train from Munich which also gave me a convenient about 3 hrs to explore the major landmarks of the city.

I found myself the nearest thing to a hot cup of tea, freshened up at the pay & use station washroom facility, dumped my big pack in a locker & was soon out to feast my eyes on the architectural marvels of Munich.

Maps.me in hand, I found my way to Justizpalast, a complex of two courthouses & administrative buildings.

The palatial (old) Palace of Justice was constructed in 1890–97 by the architect Friedrich von Thiersch in neo-baroque style at the west side of the Karlsplatz (Stachus). The Justizpalast houses the Bavarian Department of Justice and the District Court I of Munich.

I navigated my way further to Karlspalatz also known as Stachus.

Stachus is a large square in central Munich, southern Germany. The square was officially named Karlsplatz in 1797 after the unpopular Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria. Munich natives seldom use that name, calling the square instead Stachus, after the pub Beim Stachus, once owned by Eustachius Föderl, that was located there until construction work for Karlsplatz began. Even the U-Bahn and S-Bahn announcements use the unofficial name.

The most important buildings dominating the square are on the east side of the Karlstor, a gothic gate of the demolished medieval fortifications together with the rondell buildings on both sides of the gate (constructed by Gabriel von Seidl 1899-1902). The gate was first documented in 1301 and called Neuhauser Tor until 1791 when it was renamed Karlstor in honor of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria.

So this was my area of interest for the evening & I entered the gate.

One of the first imposing buildings that I encountered was the St. Michael’s Church.

St. Michael’s is a Jesuit church in Munich, southern Germany, the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps. The style of the building had an enormous influence on Southern German early Baroque architecture.

The insides of churches have always fascinated me & for good reason.

Walking southwards, I reached Sendlinger Tor.

The Sendlinger Tor (translated: Sendling Gate) is a city gate at the southern extremity of the historic old town area of Munich. It served as a fortification for the defence and is one of Munich’s three remaining gothic town gates (the other two being the Isartor and the Karlstor).

Exploring further through narrow alleyways, I came across exotic & eclectic sculptures.

The public places were decorated with beautiful fountains & water bodies like this one.

Walking past St Peter’s church, I finally reached Marienplatz.

Marienplatz (i.e. St. Mary, Our Lady‘s Square) is a central square in the city centre of Munich, Germany. It has been the city’s main square since 1158. Marienplatz was named after the Mariensäule, a Marian column erected in its centre in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation. Today the Marienplatz is dominated by the New City Hall (Neues Rathaus) on the north side, and the Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus, a reconstructed gothic council hall with a ballroom and tower) on the east side.

One of the major attractions in Marienplatz is the Fish’s Fountain.

The Fischbrunnen or Fish’s Fountain is a fountain in the center of Munich, whose history can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In 1954, Josef Henselmann created the fountain in its present form, using parts of Konrad Knoll’s neo-gothic fountain that was destroyed during the Second World War. It is located in front of the main entrance of the New Town Hall on the Marienplatz in the old town of Munich. The Fischbrunnen is one of the most popular meeting places in Munich, especially for people from the surrounding Munich region.

It was now almost 8.30 pm. I hunted out a pretty popular garden restaurant for an authentic Bavarian dinner. The size of the lamb chop & the beer glass made me wonder if it was meant for just one person! No, there wouldn’t be any halves!! It took a while but it all went in 🙂 & soon I was back at the train station to catch my overnighter to Amsterdam.

So that rounded off my short but sweet trip to Munich, a 3 hrs well spent & sufficient ground covered.